Crystal Shire
♦ First Name Crystal; Named after the beloved but dangerous Crystal Caverns of Alternia. It is said that who ever enters the caverns, and survives a whole day inside will be granted the power of Voyeurism - The ability to spy with only the eyes staying visible while the rest of the body is invisible. Only the most powerful mages and wizards have ever managed to stay the night there. ♦ Essence An adventurous girl with a heart of gold; She cares for her friends that travel with her through Alternia, fighting off monsters and overcoming misfortunes left and right. She has the power to heal others, and acts as a nurse. She’s delicate and beautiful like a sakura flower. Her hair is in two long braids and she wears long kimono with little hearts on them. Aside from her ethereal personality, she seems a bit different from your ordinary healer, but struggles to keep her two best friends (Luka and Carlos) inline. ♦ Give three adjectives to describe you (at least three) Affectionate; she loves everyone and trusts too easily. Creative; she has fun ideas that stand out against the normal. Impulsive; She acts too fast on her ideas and trusts too easily. Immature; She is childish and prefers to stay away from heavy matters. Reliable; She is trustworthy and dependable. ♦ Daughter or son of… Lady Sakura; The goddess of healing and Leaf the ethereal god. They sent her to earth to live with humans as a healer. They raised her as humans in disguise until they were called back to the realm of SunDrop (the realm of the gods) where they watched out for her from above. When the time comes they will all be reunited as a family, with Crystal as the next Oracle of the people. An Oracle is a messenger between the people and the gods. ♦ Who loves (at least three things)... Her adopted little sister River; A blind girl with raven hair and deep purple eyes. Her two best friends, Luka and Carlos, who are always there for her, but fight against each other on everything. Her necklace with a crystal heart in it; the most valuable possession she has. Adventure, and the feeling of mystery. ♦ Who believes…''' '''That love can overcome all broken people. That nobody would ever hurt another without reason. There must be pain before perseverance. That the world is balanced out by good and bad people. For every flower picked someone in the world dies. And that every sunrise produces a miracle somewhere in the world. ♦ Who remembers... 1. She woke up in her hotel room to the taste of smoke choking the air. A red haze pooled into the room; it’s source coming from behind the locked door. A small flame slipped under the door crack, in moments her room burst into deadly flames. She untangled herself from her blankets and made her way to the window, her adrenaline ran faster than her feet. She opened the glass window up. The flames raced toward her bare feet. The curtains rippled in the soft breeze. ''' '''She looked up at the night sky, closed her eyes, and jumped out of the burning building. She woke up light headed in a pile of straw minutes later. Above her, the flames towered up the hotel. 2. Working as a magic nurse in her home village located by the edge of the glassy seas. ♦ Who would like to see… '-The last living Oracle of Alternia; Also known as the messenger between the gods and the people. -The Sakura Springs and their magical koi fish -A baby cyro dragon hatching -Her mother (she disappeared from her life 6 years after a rare electrical storm blew over her village.) ' ♦ Resident of… She was originally a resident of Sakura Springs, as a member of the Ring of Healers, but after her town was turned to stone she left to discover the world of Alternia. At the moment she has no residency, she is a wandering traveler. Eventually the gods of Alternia will call on her to be the next Oracle of the people; And she will have a home in the realm of SunDrop. ♦ Last Name Shire ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Back Story (Beginning) Long ago when the gods of Alternia were young, there were two gods destined to rule together. They held knowledge and talents that surpassed the other gods’ and goddesses’. ''' '''Their names were well known throughout the world; and the realm of Sundrop, home of the gods. Lady Sakura, the goddess of healing, and Lysander the god of mystery. But sometimes destiny doesn’t always have a happy ending. A third god entered the picture. He went out of his way to break the relationship between the future rulers of Alternia. And when the time came for Lady Sakura to marry, she walked down the crystal wedding aisle up to an unfamiliar face among the gods. ' He took her hand as she stepped up to the altar. The tail of her white kimono flowed over the stair steps. Letting go of her hand the man cupped his palms together and whispered a chant. When he opened his hands a single white sakura flower laid in his palms. He wove the flower into his bride’s hair as the priest read from the leather bound book. But this is not a story of the fates of our young gods. Instead this tale is of a pink haired prodigy who lives within the seaport village of Sakura Springs. Chapter 1: Running out of Time Crystal held out her hand to her newest patient; offering to help him stand up from the doctor’s bed. She was only a healer in training but helped patients when she could. “My name is Crystal, and I’m going to take you for a walk around the village to see if your balance is stable!” She smiled and took his hand. He grasped the post of the medical bed and slid down into a stance.' “Thank you Doc, I appreciate it.” He answered. Her quaint elegance put a smile on his face. Crystal had been blessed with goddess like features; Long unnaturally colored pink hair, the ears of a lynx, and deep purple eyes. The small white wings on her back (no longer than your hand) indicated that she was a magic healer; a common occupation for young girls in Alternia. She looked as if she was one step away from royalty, but yet she was here; working in a clinic. ''' '''Crystal looked awkwardly at him as he stared at her. She had never seen someone like him; The nearby villages were keepers of their own set of species and dress wear. Every village seemed to have a different aesthetic to it. But he wasn’t anything like the nearby villagers. His clothes consisted of the colors of ink and blood. When she found him lying in the ukani fields unconscious with various cuts, his face was covered up by a black kitsune mask. When she kneeled down beside him she took his mask off; and there was the face of a boy, no older than her. His brown hair was matted with sweat to him face. She had noted that he was an “otherkin” like her; A human with animal features. He had a long wolf tail but curiously bear ears instead of wolf ears. ' ' ' They walked to the doorpost. “How far are we walking? I feel a little light headed.” He questioned. “Only as far as you want to go, but preferably to the village port. If we make it there, I can show you the golden koi! Since you’re not from around here you have to see them.” Her patient nodded at her and took a step out the door.' The ground was blanketed in soft grass that brushed up against their bare feet. Pink fog washed over the village in waves as it did every morning. The tall village huts were barely visible through the waves of fog. The sun was beginning to tip down and the two moons were creeping into the sky; expelling the morning light. The village was oddly quiet for this time of day. Crystal and her patient (Luka) made their way to the Sakura Springs Port. Instead of being greeted with a glowing busy market like always, Crystal was greeted with an empty feeling and an empty port. Nobody was there; Only a shipment of stone statues and empty market stalls. Even (the friendliest old man in the village) Mr. Eve’s market stall was empty. Crystal left her patient and walked around the port. She went slowly as to not get lost in the thick maze of pink fog. “Is your port always this deserted Doc?” Luka laughed. Crystal turned around and glared at him. “Glad to see your can walk on your own, but don’t sneak up on me!” Crystal said in a hushed voice. ' Luka shrugged and walked around. “I don’t suppose we could turn around now?” “No we need to look around- something is off.. I can feel it; starting with these stone statues.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him back over toward the docks by the ominous statues.' Hundreds of stone statues stood circled around the port square. Crystal made her way through the statues into the center. When she stood in the middle she was mortified to see every statue was a member of the village. ' Their stony facial expressions erratic and angry. She spun around, and every direction she was met with their stony figures. Another wave of pink fog washed through the port; It should have cleared by then, but no; It had only gotten heavier and thicker. The statues were covered in layers of dew. ' '''Crystal tried to contain her emotions as she walked through the rows of stone villagers. Relatives, friends, families, everyone was there. If only she had been there with them, she would have known what happened. Burning hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she came up to a statue of the leader of the Sakura Springs Guild; Vel. He has always been a pillar of strength and a perfect leader whenever the small sea village was in danger, but to see him like this was almost too much for Crystal to bear. Luka walked up to the small shaky figure quietly sobbing over the statue. ' '''“I think we should head back, this place is giving me the creeps Doc.” Luka started. Crystal turned around and looked at him with a pained expression. “Doc what’s the matter?” He was previously oblivious to her hushed sobbing. She wiped her tears on the sleeve of her kimono. “Everyone of these statues is a member of the village turned to stone…” She choked the words through tears as Luka’s face went dark. He walked around the statue she was leaning on. “Well then who is this-” “His name is Vel, he’s the guild leader of our village.” She interrupted him. “Was the guild leader; now he’s just a pile of rocks.” Luka studied the statue. “He looks a little short to be some mighty hero.” Crystal looked up at Luka, “He would slice you in half if he was here in person!” She yelled at him as the tears streamed kept coming. Her voice echoed through the deserted market stalls.' The sound of footsteps coming returned; someone was coming. “Quick get behind a statue!” Chrystal whispered anxiously, her small body hid behind the former guild leader’s statue. ''' '''Luka had a different idea though; He broke off a sword from one of the stone statues hands’ and took up a fighting stance in front of Crystal and the statue. “What are you doing?! We don’t know who’s walking toward us!” Crystal whispered. “Ah don’t worry about it Doc, I’ve had a few sword fights in my life.” He swung the sword around carelessly, but it’s weight brought him to his knees. “Some hero... you should still be in bed.” She said as she helped him up to his feet and brought him behind the statue. The uncanny footsteps came closer; The soles of the shoes clicked and clacked on the stone road. Crystal let in and out short constrained breaths as heavy pink fog rolled into the port like waves. The footsteps stopped amidst the stone statues. Luka pulled Crystal closer to him behind the statue. Both stood in fear as the sun slowly dipped into the sea. A roaring crackle accompanied by a blue flash lit up the heavy fog now blanketed over the port. Crystal saw Luka’s eyes light up in reflection with anxiety as he looked down at her panicked expression. He pushed her and himself down to the ground as a second roaring crackle came from the distance. A blue shot of light struck the guild leader’s statue, where they had been standing moments before. What once was a person with their own life and story was now nothing more than a mere pile of rubble... “Crystal, we have to get out of here, who ever is out there is wielding a wizard’s staff!” Luka’s voice choked on the heavy fog. But Crystal didn’t respond. He body laid cold on the hard stone ground. “No--” Luka started panicking. He turned her over so he could see her face.The side of her face was dripping with glowing pink blood. She had hit the ground too hard, and now there was a deep cut in her small emotionless face.' Click... Clack. Click.... Clack. The footsteps replayed their previous sounds as they came closer; they had no origin, as if it was everywhere. The uneven pacing of the steps let off that the wielder of the staff was limping. Luka now knew he had little time to escape to the safety of the clinic up the hill, but could he make it there with Crystal? He could hardly walk by himself. ' He picked Crystal up and with the help of a statue, shakily stood up. His legs felt as if they would give out any moment. He walked through the forest of stone statues. Their angry faces seemed to be watching his movements. Luka looked back at where Vel’s statue was when something on the ground caught his attention; A trail of glowing blood… He leaned up against a statue to keep his stance. Luka slid his back down the statue till he was sitting on the cold brick ground, still holding Crystal’s small body in his arms. The sun had completely vanished under the waters now, and all that he could make out of Crystal’s face was the blood stained side, and the cut; glowing deep shades of pink. If the cut wasn’t closed Crystal would lose too much blood, and the trail on the ground would lead the staff wielder directly to them.' ' Luka set her on the ground carefully with her head facing upward. With a yank at the fabric he tore off a sleeve from his shirt and wrapped it around her head, covering the cut. The pink blood started staining the fabric, and it wouldn’t be long before it wouldn’t hold.' He struggled to pick her up with one arm, while he grasped the statue with the other as leverage to get back up on his feet. Fog washed in and out of the port as his staggering steps weaved past statues, pausing once in a while to lean up against a statue to catch his breath. The clinic was now visible in the distance. There was only one more trial to overcome before chances of survival would increase; Walking uphill on a steep path.' ' Luka looked up at the clinic on the hill with blurred vision. He now stood at the bottom of the hill, holding Crystal’s pale body close to him. The first step was by far the hardest, because balancing your weight and the weight of another on an incline is a challenge indeed. As he slowly climbed up the hill in the dark his mind replayed what would happen to him if he fell or tripped; He looked down at Crystal’s glowing cut. The blood started to seep through the thin fabric, and that’s when he realized he was running out of time… ' '----' Doors shut. Windows locked. Curtains closed. These were the precautions Luka made once he had reached the house and set Crystal into the very medical bed he was in earlier that day. “Looks like the roles have reversed Doc.” He weakly laughed as he replaced the blood stained fabric with bandages from the storage. Alternia’s two moons had joined the stars in the sky by this point time; and morning was sure to prevail. Luka limped over to the medicine cabinet and opened it up. He looked through the hundreds of tiny glass vials, each containing a different ingredient. Everything from moonflower dust to toxite poison was there. ''' '''Luka grabbed as many bottles as he could carry and set them over on the table at the other side of the room by the bed Crystal was in. The glass clanked and the ingredients swished around in their bottles. (Yep that's all I got.) -Wolfie 11/11/2019